Former Archbishop Delivers One of Sweden's Biggest Apologies to Sami People

In November 2021, former Archbishop Antje Jackelén stood before the Sami people in Uppsala Cathedral, not from a pulpit, but eye-to-eye, to deliver a profound apology. "Today I stand as Archbishop of the Church of Sweden before you, the Sami people, and confess that we have NOT met you at eye level," she stated. "We have been bent inward, not stood up straight against racism and abuse of power. Our backs are bent by the guilt we carry. We have placed unjust burdens on you. We have weighed down your ancestors with shame and pain that new generations have inherited."

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Today I stand as Archbishop of the Church of Sweden before you, the Sami people, and confess that we have NOT met you at eye level. We have been bent inward, not stood up straight against racism and abuse of power. Our backs are bent by the guilt we carry. We have placed unjust burdens on you. We have weighed down your ancestors with shame and pain that new generations have inherited.

The apology acknowledged the Church of Sweden's contribution to attempts to dismantle Sami culture, its colonization of Sami lands, and its complicity with racist ideologies. Jackelén stressed the crucial difference between asking for forgiveness and offering an apology. "I did not ask for forgiveness; there is a big difference between asking for forgiveness and offering an apology," she reflected later. "We can ask God for forgiveness because we have the promise that God forgives. We could not have such an expectation of the Sami people."

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I did not ask for forgiveness; there is a big difference between asking for forgiveness and offering an apology. We can ask God for forgiveness because we have the promise that God forgives. We could not have such an expectation of the Sami people.

Jackelén explained that offering a true apology requires confronting the historical truth, citing the 2016 white paper that documented the church's past actions. "The perpetrator must also be moved; that is necessary to feel remorse," she said. This principle, she noted, applies to everyday apologies as well. An apology without insight or remorse can be a tool of power, attempting to force forgiveness.

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The perpetrator must also be moved; that is necessary to feel remorse.

Drawing on lessons from Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter Mpho Tutu, Jackelén highlighted that true forgiveness is a gift one gives oneself. "When you have named the pain and when you can decide to forgive, you leave the dynamics of revenge behind you," she explained. "You stop being a victim; you become a survivor."

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When you have named the pain and when you can decide to forgive, you leave the dynamics of revenge behind you. You stop being a victim; you become a survivor.